Debbie & Sam on 50 Years of Marriage: Gratitude, Celebration... and Grief

Debbie brings her favorite recurring guest, husband Sam Harrington, back onto the show. This is a special episode because they are celebrating 50 years of marriage today, Feb. 3, 2023.

They were married a half century ago, in 1973. It was truly another age,  pre-Internet and so much more. They were both 21. That's an astonishing fact: they were obviously too young to get married. But they did and the marriage has lasted. 

They acknowledge how lucky they are and how much they have to be grateful for.  They have six grandchildren, they like hanging out together, and Sam is still teasing Debbie and making her laugh.

They talk about the trivial and the existential and how it's okay to feel grief when they look back at their youthful passion and how young and beautiful they were. And how now is a time to think about their mortality and to try and enjoy each present moment.

Things do change in a long marriage, as you’ll hear. 

One thing doesn’t, however.  As always, Debbie and Sam disagree about a lot of things. "But that's all good..." A phrase they've adopted after watching W1A, a very funny British TV series starring Hugh Bonneville.
 

Mentioned in this episode or useful:

W1A (British TV Series about the BBC, 2014–2020)W1A Excerpt: BBC Group Activity | W1A  (Hugh Bonneville character says “That’s all good” at 3:00)At Peace: Choosing a Good Death After a Long Life by Sam Harrington (Grand Central Life & Style, 2018)[B]OLDER S5-EP1: Debbie & Sam Explore Iceland With Two Grandchildren

Previous episodes featuring Debbie Weil and her husband Sam Harrington:

S4-EP6: Debbie & Sam on Entering the Land of the OldS3-EP22: Debbie & Sam on Getting Calm and Centered in BajaS3-EP16: Debbie & Sam on Fasting For Five Days and Why They Were Crazy Enough to Do ItS2-EP24: Debbie & Sam on the Gap Year For Everyone, Silver Linings, and Not Should'ingS2-EP18: Debbie & Sam on the New Normal, Quarantines, Immunity Passports, and Masks & GlovesS2-EP12: Debbie & Sam on the Coronavirus, Magical Thinking, and AgingS1-EP10: On Debbie & Sam's Bucket List: Living in FranceS1-EP2: Debbie & Sam on How They Decided to Take a Gap Year at Age 62

 

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Request from Debbie:

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Connect with Debbie:

debbieweil.com[B]OLDER podcastEmail: [email protected]Blog: Gap Year After SixtyFacebook: @debbieweilInstagram: @debbieweilLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/debbieweilTwitter: @debbieweil

 

Our Media Partners:

CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)MEA and with thanks to Chip ConleyNext For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

 

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Credits:

Host: Debbie WeilProducer: Far Out MediaMusic: Lakeside Path by Duck Lake